1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods and compositions for treating intracellular infections and to microsphere preparations used for such treatment.
2. Background Art
Diseases associated with intracellular infections often do not respond adequately to conventional drug treatment regimens, causing many patients to suffer relapses after being treated for such diseases. A wide array of drugs are used to treat diseases associated with intracellular infections. In addition, much research is devoted to identifying new drugs to treat such diseases. However, conventional drugs and drug treatments are often limited by toxicity which, for many drugs, is very close to the minimum inhibitory concentration of the drug, thus giving a very narrow window of drug efficacy. Treatment regimens also typically involve multiple doses, increasing the risk of treatment failure caused by patient noncompliance.
The present invention provides a unique regimen of compositions and methods for treating all intracellular infections, using any drug suited for the particular disease. The regimen of this invention targets drugs to infected cells, and is more successful treating intracellular infections than conventional regimens. The regimen of this invention reduces intracellular counts better than equivalent doses administered in conventional treatment regimens. The regimen of compositions and methods also requires fewer administrations, thus minimizing the risk of patient noncompliance.